Magic and Shadow Shows
by TardisInWonderland
Summary: There's a blue box in the Hogwarts halls, and something unnatural is lurking in the forbidden forest that isn't affected by magic. The only person who might know what to do is an old friend of Dumblrdore's called "The Doctor." Large character list.
1. Chapter 1

_This started as a fic request on Tumblr, but I wanted to keep going and see where it might lead, so here goes nothing! Happy New Year!_

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><p>Harry walked through the Hogwarts halls covered by his invisibility cloak, feet softly tapping on the floor and the silky fabric swishing behind him. It was around 3AM and far past curfew, but he was meeting Tonks on the battlements to get some updates on the Order. During Year 6 the security was tighter than ever. Tonks had snuck in earlier and was waiting when he got there, though after escorting her out via invisibility cloak he still needed to get back to his room. Pocketing the Marauder's Map, he continued to pad down the darkened hallways to the staircase leading to the Fat Lady.<p>

Coming up one of the corridors there was something that made him stop, only for a second. It was a horrible grinding noise, akin to a mix of what Harry was sure Professor Snape's fingernails sounded like scraping across the blackboard and muggle piping groaning against the winter cold. The pipes at Hogwarts never screeched unless someone wanted them to, and he'd certainly never heard _that_ sound before… so why not check it out? Harry turned on his heel and walked back the way he'd come, footsteps a bit louder from rushing towards the noise. Voices wafted from around the corner.

"Doctor, I thought you said we were-"

"Shush!" Another voice chimed in, whispering. "Can't you tell it's quiet?"

"What's wrong with quiet?" Asked the first voice. A woman, Scottish.

"Nothing, but this is sleepy quiet. Quiet quiet. No trespassing intruders in the dead of night quiet." Harry's weight shifted to his toes as he turned the corner. Not that they could see him, but they could still hear. There, in the middle of the hallway, was a large blue police box like the ones he'd seen in muggle schoolbooks. Only this one was different, he could tell right off. It was too blue, too new, and the man who came out of it was too… old. But young. But so… old. The woman with him turned, her red hair moving slightly from the draft in the corridor, and looked almost directly at Harry.

It surprised him so much that he dropped his wand.

"What was that?" She asked.

"Someone's here." The man said, closing his eyes. Harry could feel something, almost like a hand coming out, touching the fringes of his mind. "It's alright," The man said, louder, "we won't hurt you. I know you're scared, but just come on out and we'll explain."

Harry wondered for a moment whether or not to believe him, but looking at his face- the complete honesty and innocence and age... No, he seriously doubted this man meant him any harm. It would be like Dumbledore killing a kitten.

"Here." He said softly, dropping his cloak and folding it over his arm. The redhead gasped and the man smiled.

"Hello. I'm the Doctor. This is my friend Amy." He said, and the woman waved hello.

"Why are you here?" Harry asked, suddenly suspicious. "This whole place is on lockdown, how did you even get in?"

"Oh, just visiting for a bit. I've got my own means of… transportation."

"Does Dumbledore know you're here?" Harry asked. The man laughed.

"No, I suppose not. Didn't manage to get him a message this time." The Doctor said. Amy whispered a question.

"Who's Dumbledore?"

"Old friend of mine." The Doctor said.

"Well, you may want to be getting out of here soon." Harry interjected. "I'm not sure how welcome you'll be.

"Oh, I don't know about that. I think we'll stay a while." He said. Harry shrugged.

"Alright. Up to you, I suppose, but at least let me take you to Dumbledore." He said. The Doctor nodded and followed Harry down the hallway, not even taking a second glance at the snoozing portraits that were drawing Amy's undivided attention.

"And you're just… the Doctor?" Harry asked.

"Yep, that's me. And you are?"

"Harry," he said, extending a hand, "Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter! What a great name. Old Albus talks about you." The Doctor said as they walked, finally coming to the passage leading to Dumbledore's study. Harry whispered the password and the staircase opened, though the Doctor had to practically drag Amy away from the pictures on the walls. That wasn't as much of a problem when she realized the staircase hadn't been there before.

"What? But… I… the…"

"Shhh!" The Doctor whispered, laughing softly.

"Muggle?" Harry asked.

"Something like that."

"What's a… moogle?" Amy asked, a little offended.

"A _muggle_ is a non-magical person."

"But the Doctor's not magical!" She said, her voice echoing as they stepped into Dumbledore's study.

"He's close enough." The remark had come from an old man with a long white beard, who stood to greet them.

"Dumbledore!" The Doctor said, throwing his arms wide.

"Hello, old friend." Dumbledore said, hugging the Doctor with a slight chuckle. "Though not, I think, showing your age as much."

"How old are you?" Asked Harry. He wasn't being impertinent, he was simply curious. "Dumbledore's a hundred and forty-eight."

"Don't tell anyone," said the Doctor with a smile, "but I'm nine hundred and nine."

Harry pulled away, completely shocked. Wizards lived a very long time if they were careful, but he'd never met anyone so old, and especially not someone who _looked_ so young for their age.

"I see you've met Harry." Dumbledore said. "Perhaps you shall hear his story at a later time. Thanks for bringing him." The last part was to Harry, who nodded, wondering why Dumbledore didn't seem the least bit concerned that he was breaking curfew.

"You never told me where we actually are." Said Amy, who was beginning to look increasingly annoyed.

"This, young lady, is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Dumbledore said proudly, as if the speech was never old.

"Hogwarts?" She asked, trying not to laugh. Dumbledore nodded, but the Doctor chose this time to intervene.

"Got your distress call." The Doctor said, taking a seat in one of the chairs around the room. "What's the problem?" Dumbledore sat in a chair near him and Harry pulled up two extras for himself and Amy.

"We've had some trouble coming from the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid's been saying that the animals are acting strangely- _possessed_, even."

"Ah, how _is_ Hagrid doing? Haven't seen him for a long while!" The Doctor cried, while Amy continued to look completely and utterly shocked.

"He's well. Now, back to the matter at hand-" but before he could continue there were loud footsteps on the staircase and sounds of struggling.

"I saw her coming out of the forest. She can't be up to any good!" Said a familiar male voice. Well, familiar to Harry, at least. A moment later Professor Snape and Draco Malfoy stepped into the main study area, Professor Snape carrying someone in his arms. Harry assumed it was a woman, judging by Malfoy's statement, but he couldn't be sure, as the professor's large black cloak obscured most of her upper body.

"Professor-" Malfoy began, but stopped when he saw the others in the room.

"Doctor." Snape said curtly, still holding the woman.

"Severus." The Doctor said, showing neither like nor dislike.

"Draco found this woman walking out of the Forbidden Forest. He said she looked… hostile." He gently placed the body on the rug, revealing a woman of about thirty with a mop of curly blonde hair. She was clearly unconscious.

"River!" Amy said, looking at the woman on the floor. Both she and the Doctor jumped up and went to her side. The Doctor pulled an instrument with a green light from his pocket and started probing her with it.

"What did you do to her?" He asked angrily.

"Why do you need to know-" Malfoy began, but the Doctor cut him off.

"What did you do? _Tell me!_" The Doctor said, rising to face Draco, who looked a little scared, but stood his ground. Dumbledore acted as if nothing was the matter, and Snape looked slightly amused.

"Who _are_ you?" Draco asked, still snide even when he was scared.

"I am the Doctor and _that_ is my _wife_! Now you _tell me what you did to her_!" The Doctor had risen to his full height by now, and Draco backed off, pale faced and cornered.

"I stunned her." He whispered, backing into Snape.

"Don't worry, Doctor." Dumbledore said from behind. While the Doctor was preoccupied with Malfoy he had risen from his chair to examine River, and was now holding his wand at the ready. "_Rennervate_."

A small glow emitted from the wand, and River opened her eyes sleepily.


	2. Chapter 2

_Ummm... at this point I think I'll just thank you all for being so nice and beg you not to kill me for not updating this..._

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><p>"Doctor?" River sat up, one hand pressed into her unruly curls. The Doctor smiled.<p>

"Hello, sweetie." He said, but promptly received a smack for his troubles. "_What was that for?_" The Doctor reeled back and River proceeded to rub her head and look annoyed, even in her slightly groggy state.

"Once again, you sent me a message and you didn't follow through!" She managed to stand, wobbling a bit. A good stun spell takes a moment to wear off, even with the counterspell.

"I didn't send- oh." The Doctor smacked himself in the forehead. "I probably sent it from a later me to an earlier you do you'd be here now…"

Harry didn't actually follow this, but he hoped he at least looked it. Draco, on the other hand, was openly confused. River turned, noticing Snape and Dumbledore for the first time.

"Ah! Severus." She held out her hand and he shook it, giving as much of a smile as Snape was known to give. "How are you?"

"Well enough, Miss Song."

"And Dumbledore!" She came forward to the old wizard, who hugged her warmly. "Still up to your old tricks, I presume?" Dumblrdore winked in response. Now it was the Doctor's turn to look confused.

"How do you know them?" He pointed back and forth between Snape and Dumbledore. "And why did you act like you didn't know her?" this question was directed at the professors, who refused to open their mouths.

"Spoilers, honey." She replied, turning to kiss his cheek quickly. "You'll find out soon enough."

"Um, hello?" Harry spoke tentatively, and all the heads in the room whipped in his direction. "Would someone mind explaining this to me?" River looked at him strangely for a moment.

"Have we done the dead time adventure yet?" She asked, a sparkle in her eye.

Harry simply stared, giving an almost imperceptible shake of his head, and River got the impression he probably thought she was insane.

"I see. In that case, I'm River Song, that's my mum, and that's my husband." She extended her hand and Harry shook it. Her grip was strong, confident. Harry's was a bit shaky and unsure- rather understandable, but there's a lot to be said for handshakes. There was also a lot to be said for the sonic blaster strapped to River's thigh, which Harry was quite wary of, partly because he had no clue what it was.

"That's your mum?" Draco asked. River nodded, giving her usual 'timey-wimey' shrug. Snape seemed to be trying to avoid looking at Amy- River knew why, but she couldn't tell Harry, not this time. He was too young yet. She looked over at Amy just for a moment, taking in the hat, jacket, and jeans… if you didn't look too closely at the eyes she was the picture of Lilly Evans, or at least she had been the last time she'd seen Snape… Ah, the good days. But those were for other times.

"Are you a witch?" Harry asked, eyes flicking to the gun that seemed to be glowing blue on the side. River laughed, throwing her head back and shaking her head.

"No, but I can do a rather good impersonation of one, can't I, Severus?" Snape simply pursed his lips, looking both extremely impressed and disapproving at once. The Doctor cut in at this point.

"Alright, as nice as this little party is, I think we have a few more matters to attend to at the moment, and they're probably out in that forest." He turned to walk out the door, Amy and River on his heels.

"It's the middle of the night!" Draco cried, stopping them in their tracks. "Going out there is a suicide mission!" River cut a glance at the Doctor, then looked back towards Draco and extended her hand, a playful smile on her lips.

"Want to come along?" Draco's jaw dropped, and he looked at Dumbledore, apparently wanting him to do something, but the old wizard simply shooed them on their way. Harry, making his decision, stepped forward and clasped River's hand.

"Good man!" the Doctor smiled and clapped him on the back. "Any other takers? No? Right then!"

The foursome rushed back down the stairs and out of Dumbledore's office. Harry led the way out of the castle towards Hagrid's hut, which the Doctor declared the first step in figuring out what on earth was going on. Amy continued to stare at the paintings when the spoke, which was usually to say hello to River. The Doctor still didn't get that.

Harry pointed to the left, and Amy rushed ahead, following a man in medieval dress around the corner, and nearly stepped off the second floor landing with a squeal. Harry pulled her back just in time, and the staircase swung into place. She wasn't used to them, he presumed, but River and the Doctor seemed to have no trouble.

The sky outside was pitch black, with no moon. Whether from clouds or some other sinister goings-on, it was impossible to tell.

"So, how do you get a name like River Song?" Harry asked once they were out of the castle, just trying to make conversation. It was much easier going across the dark, empty lawns with a bit of light talking. However, all three of them immediately burst into laughter- quiet laughter, stifled under palms.

"Well… it's a bit of a story, that is." River said. "There's a lot of explaining to get done beforehand." Amy nodded and picked up the explanation.

"Basically, he's a nine hundred year old alien who travels through time and space with humans because he's lonely, and don't say he doesn't look like an alien, because he is. He's got two hearts."

Harry nodded slowly, in the sort of "I'll go get the nice people with the big net" way. Amy rolled her eyes.

"I swear, you're a wizard who goes to wizard school in the wizard world, and you don't believe in aliens? How much sense does that make?" Harry smiled at this. She had a point, like it or not.

"So where does she come in?"

"She's a thirtyish years old alien like the Doctor who's an alien because of exposure to the Time Vortex. And their timelines are out of order because they're both time travelers. Long story. Very, very long. I expect you'll hear it sometime."

"He will." River said.

Around this time they reached Hagrid's hut. Harry, who had brought, but not used, the invisibility cloak, went forward and knocked on the door.

"Hagrid!" He called quietly. Heavy footsteps fromlarge feet were heard inside, and the door opened just a crack.

"Who's there with ya?" He looked suspiciously at the shadowy forms of River, Amy, and the Doctor. River stepped forward.

"Remember me?" She smiled. The single eye visible through the cracked door widened, and a deadbolt was heard unlocking. Hagrid hurriedly ushered them in, casting a glance at the sky. It was still pitch black- no moon, no stars. This kind of dark didn't sit easy with him, not for someone who knew what it usually meant, and not with Voldemort on the rise.

Within a second the door was securely bolted and chained, the party of five staring at each other in the small, cluttered space inside Hagrid's hut.

The sun would be rising in six hours.

He prayed it would come quickly.


End file.
